Liverpool vs Chelsea preview, team news, how to watch and prediction

Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield in a huge clash on Sunday, in arguably the biggest game of Premier League match week eight, as the two in-form teams will look to trump the other to further solidify their stance in the title race.

With a long-standing history of drama tracing back to the Benitez and Mourinho eras, the Liverpool vs. Chelsea encounter this Sunday is expected to bring intensity and drama in what could be a key battle between two Premier League titans.

Depending on the outcomes of Bournemouth vs. Arsenal, Wolves vs. Man City, and Fulham vs. Aston Villa, both Liverpool and Chelsea could risk dropping their positions if either team suffers defeat.

Liverpool’s revival under Arne Slot has turned them into an early-season powerhouse, with six victories from seven matches.

Anyone who anticipated a Liverpool slump after their surprising 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest have been left disappointed as the Reds have been flawless since then, securing victories in all six matches across various competitions.

They extended their flying form with a trip to Selhurst Park to face a winless Crystal Palace side.

Palace found the net within the first minute through Eddie Nketiah, who chipped a shot over Alisson, but the striker was offside. For the next hour, Liverpool dominated the match. Jota, making his 100th start for the club, scored with a classic finish from Cody Gakpo’s low cross to secure all the points for the Reds.

They now gear up to face Chelsea with the hope of upholding their nine-game unbeaten streak against the London side.

Chelsea are enjoying a meteoric rise in form, performances and results under new head coach, Enzo Maresca.

Considering how long it took before achieving team cohesion and understanding last season, one would expect a similar theme this season following the appointment of a new manager and another plethora of players.

However, Maresca has taken little time to install his philosophy in the team, who are riding in confidence so far.

Bar the opening day 2-0 loss to champions, Manchester City at home, the Blues are yet to lose a match, winning four and drawing two in their next six matches in the League.

A run of one draw and three consecutive wins earned the Italian manager the September Premier League Manager of the Month alongside Cole Palmer who won the Player of the Month award after providing six goal contributions in the month.

The Blues are also the competition second second-highest scorers with 16 goals, only behind City who has 17 goals.

Chelsea, on the other hand, will be frustrated with their 1-1 home draw against Nottingham Forest in their recent match, despite having to come from behind.

Nottingham Forest endured a late surge from Chelsea with 10 men, securing a valuable Premier League point in a thrilling 1-1 draw in London.

A scoreless first half transitioned into a frantic second when Chris Wood connected with Nikola Milenkovic’s headed pass from a James Ward-Prowse free-kick, putting Forest ahead just four minutes after the break.

Chelsea reacted strongly as Noni Madueke latched onto Cole Palmer’s pass, cutting inside and slotting the ball into the bottom corner to equalize in the 57th minute as the match ultimately ended in a draw.

The outcome leaves Chelsea in fourth place with 14 points, while Forest sits four points behind in 10th as they head into the international break.

The West London club will now gear up for a trip to Anfield to record their first win against Liverpool in nine matches since the 1-0 win in 2021.

Liverpool Vs Chelsea match details

• Date: Sunday, October 20, 2024
• Location: Liverpool, England
• Venue: Anfield Stadium
• Kick-off time: 04:30 PM BST, 05:30 PM UTC, 11:30 AM ET
• Referee: John Brooks
• Assistant referees: Simon Bennett, Darren Cann
• Fourth official: Craig Pawson
• VAR: Michael Oliver
• Assistant VAR: Stuart Burt
• Tickets: Fans can buy Liverpool vs Chelsea tickets from trusted reseller Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

• Liverpool are unbeaten in their last six Premier League encounters with Chelsea, though five of these matches ended in draws.

• The Reds have lost only two of their previous 19 league games against the Blues, recording seven wins and 10 draws.

• Arne Slot’s side has conceded the fewest goals (two), kept the most clean sheets (five), and holds the lowest expected goals against figure (5.2) in the Premier League this season.

• Liverpool and Chelsea are the only two teams with a 100% away win rate in the Premier League for the 2024-25 campaign.

• The Reds have secured six clean sheets in their last eight Premier League fixtures, equaling their total number of clean sheets from their previous 27 matches in the League.

• Mohamed Salah has contributed to 11 goals in 10 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions this season (six goals, five assists), tied for the most with Cole Palmer and Erling Haaland.

• Diogo Jota has found the net 13 times in his last 16 starts at Anfield in all competitions.

• A victory in this match would mark the fifth time the Reds have won seven of their first eight top-flight games in a season (following 1978-79, 1987-88, 1990-91, and 2019-20).

• These two teams lead the Premier League in big chances created this season – Liverpool with 28 and Chelsea with 27.

• Chelsea have suffered only two defeats in their last 22 Premier League matches with 13 wins and seven draws.

• Only Manchester City (17) have netted more goals than Enzo Maresca’s team (16) in the league this season.

• Chelsea’s Palmer (11) and Noni Madueke (four) have combined for 15 chances between them in the Premier League this season, the most of any pair. Palmer’s four assists to Madueke is also the highest from one player to a teammate in the league so far this season.

Team news

Liverpool will be without their first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker until the end of next month. The Brazilian international sustained a hamstring injury that will sideline him until after the final international break in November.

Liverpool saw the early return of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, both injury-free, over the weekend.

Van Dijk received a red card in the Netherlands’ draw against Hungary last Friday, departing the squad before their Monday loss to Germany.

Alexis Mac Allister had to leave the pitch during the victory over Crystal Palace in the last match, but he still linked up with the Argentina squad, missing the opening game against Venezuela but starting in the 6-0 triumph over Bolivia last night.

Federico Chiesa, on the other hand, has played only 18 minutes in the Premier League since transferring from Juventus, having sustained an unspecified injury last month. Harvey Elliott is still unavailable due to a foot injury.

Caoimhin Kelleher did not make the trip to South London to face Palace with third-choice goalkeeper, Vitezslav Jaros coming in for the injured Alisson.

It remains to be seen if Kelleher will be fit in time to face Chelsea or if Slot will stick with Jaros who impressed in his short cameo.

Chelsea’s back four has been relatively stable this season under Enzo Maresca; however, they will be missing Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana for Sunday’s match at Anfield. Both players will serve one-match suspensions after receiving their fifth yellow cards of the season in the heated draw against Nottingham Forest.

Both players have been starters in every league match this season, with Tosin Adarabioyo anticipated to take Fofana’s place alongside Levi Colwill.

Renato Veiga may be tapped to fill in for Cucurella following his impressive start at Stamford Bridge. The Portuguese player has played as a left-back in Europa Conference League matches this season, accumulating four Premier League appearances thus far.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s captain, Reece James is progressing in his recovery from injury after being pictured participating in full team training. However, it appears unlikely that Maresca will risk him in such a significant match after another extended absence.

Predicted starting lineup

Liverpool predicted starting lineup

Jaros; Alexander Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Jota.

Chelsea predicted starting lineup

Sanchez, Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Veiga; Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer; Madueke Sancho, Jackson.

Prediction

Liverpool’s coach, Arne Slot previously stated that his team are yet to face a big test in the Premier League. Sunday’s encounter could be the team’s biggest test yet as they look to thwart Chelsea’s attacking array while also capitalising on their opponent’s defensive lapses.

Playing in front of a spirited Anfield faithful will give the team a strong edge but Chelsea on the other hand are formidable in away matches.

An end-to-end display is expected in this clash on Sunday.

We’re predicting a 2-1 win for Chelsea.